I fell in love with Lucas Gray, the heir to our company’s biggest rival. We were fierce competitors in the boardroom, and just as passionate in the bedroom. Our trysts left traces in his office, his car, the shower, the balcony – everywhere we could steal a moment together. My birthday was coming up in a week. I decided I would officially announce our relationship at my birthday party. But then I overheard him talking with his friends by accident. “Damn, three condoms? Lucas, you animal. I thought you said this was just for fun? No need to put in so much effort.” “Man, imagine how that old Sinclair geezer would react if he knew his precious daughter was getting it on all over Lucas’ office. Think he’d have a heart attack when he sees the video?” “You’re not going to chicken out of releasing the video, are you bro?” Lucas exhaled a cloud of smoke, pausing before he slowly replied. “Don’t worry, I’m just playing with her. You know Emma’s my fiancée. I’m only with Olivia to humiliate the Sinclair family. That bitch had the nerve to steal my deal – she deserves this.” I clutched the contract in my hand – the $100 million deal I had spent over a month convincing my father to agree to as our first partnership with Gray Corp. Well, it seems the Grays don’t need the Sinclairs’ goodwill after all. I dialed Ethan Morgan’s number. “I have a business proposition for you. And if you’re interested, I have a marriage proposal as well.” 0
My heart turned to ice as I listened to their conversation. Just this morning, Lucas had bent me over his desk and taken me three times. “We can’t, there are cameras in your office,” I had protested. “Don’t worry, I disabled them all. I can’t let anyone else see how beautiful you are, my darling.” I had scanned the room carefully, only agreeing after triple-checking there were no cameras. Now my shoulders still bore the marks of his passion. So he had been lying to me all along. The contract papers scattered across the floor. Their conversation continued in the office. “Lucas, you sly dog. Setting up that incident at the bar, having your guys harass her so you could swoop in and play hero. No wonder she fell for you hook, line and sinker.” “The Sinclairs and Grays have been rivals for years. When Olivia first joined the board and snatched that million-dollar deal from you, you became the laughingstock of the whole city.” “Now once you release that video at her birthday party, Olivia and the whole Sinclair family will be the new joke in town. You’ll have crushed them completely.” “Who’d want to do business with that slut Olivia after that?” … I couldn’t bear to hear any more. So the love I thought was real was just an elaborate scheme. But Lucas, you’ve underestimated me. I may have loved the wrong man, but I can take the loss. If you don’t love me, there’s a line of men waiting to love me instead. Ethan’s voice came through the phone: “Really? You’re finally willing?” “But I thought you said you were announcing your engagement next week? That you loved him…” “That man will be you,” I said firmly. “What?” I repeated with conviction: “That man is you.” I hung up and returned to my own company. I called my assistant in. “Remember that contract I had you working on this month? I need you to draft a new proposal, but change the partner to Morgan Corp.” My assistant hesitated. “But weren’t you and Mr. Gray very close? This deal would give them at least 30% profit. Why give it to the Morgans instead?” “You’ve been working overtime for a month to make this happen. Why…” “That’s enough,” I cut her off. “Personal feelings have no place in business. Besides, Morgan’s offer is lower and they’ve been a trusted partner for 10 years. They deserve it.” “And remember, from now on Lucas Gray and I have no relationship whatsoever. Don’t mention him to me again.” After dismissing my assistant, their conversation echoed in my mind. I scrawled “VIDEO” on a piece of paper in frustration. Video. I needed to delete any compromising footage before I left. Just then, Lucas burst through the door. His assistant followed, carrying gift boxes. Lucas took out a cake. “I picked four flavors I think you’ll love. Try them! Whichever you like best, I’ll have them cater your birthday dessert bar.” I forced a polite smile. “Aren’t you very busy lately? Why bother with little things like this?” He fed me a spoonful. “Olivia, everything about you is important to me. No detail is too small. Oh, and your birthday is in a week – I’ve decided to plan the whole thing myself.” His gaze suddenly fell on the paper with “VIDEO” written on it. My heart skipped a beat in panic. He smiled, pointing at the word. “We should prepare a special video for your birthday party. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure it’s a surprise you’ll love.” Hearing this, my heart plummeted. The cake in my mouth turned bitter. I spoke hoarsely: “It’s just a birthday. We don’t need a video, right?” He stroked my hair affectionately. “No way, how else will your parents see how in love we are? How can they feel comfortable entrusting you to me?” The last shred of hope in my heart was crushed by Lucas’ own hand. I nodded helplessly, my chest aching. “Whatever you say.” 0
Just then, Lucas’ phone chimed. He glanced at the screen, a faint smile appearing. I tilted my head to look, pouting playfully. “Who’s messaging you?” He hastily hid his phone. “It’s nothing, just my assistant reminding me about a meeting.” My eyes darkened. He never used to hide things from me before. I had clearly seen a pink cartoon avatar. Lucas had replaced all his assistants with men to avoid making me jealous. Which woman was making him smile like that? Was it his fiancée Emma? I hid my disappointment, watching him carefully. Noticing my gaze, he broke into a sweat. The phone rang again. He declined the call. He gave me an apologetic look. “I’m sorry Olivia, I have to go. I’ll come see you tonight after I’m done with work.” After Lucas left, I borrowed my assistant’s car and discreetly followed him. My heart raced. I wasn’t sure what exactly I was trying to confirm. At the airport, I donned sunglasses and a hat, trailing about 100 meters behind Lucas. I saw him take out a large bouquet of pink and white flowers, looking around anxiously. Soon I spotted a slender young woman in a white pleated skirt bouncing over. She took the flowers and kissed him passionately right there in the airport. I turned away abruptly, my nails digging into my palms. I told myself: “Olivia, stop hoping. Your true love was just a game. It’s time to quit.” Late that night, Lucas finally came home. When we first moved in together, I wasn’t used to Lucas getting home late from business dinners. I always went to bed at 10pm sharp and woke up at 5:30am to work out for an hour before heading to the office, like clockwork. He’d come home late and try to fool around, leaving me exhausted for my morning meetings. After I complained repeatedly, he promised to always be home by 9pm. Tonight was the first time he had broken that promise. Seeming to sense my mood, he was especially gentle tonight. He silently took my hand from under the covers and clasped a diamond bracelet around my wrist. Then he bent to kiss my fingertips. “Look, do you like the new gift I chose for you?” “I didn’t mean to be late, I swear. We had an important client today. I knew you’d be upset so I had my assistant go to the auction to get this bracelet you loved.” “Will you forgive me just this once?” The diamond bracelet sparkled dazzlingly in the dim light, impossible to look away from. But I felt somewhat weary of it all. I looked at him and said flatly: “You smell like iris perfume. Were you meeting a client or seeing a woman?” He blanched in shock, quickly sniffing his jacket. “The client today was a woman, but she was over 40. No one as beautiful as you.” “Olivia, you’re overthinking again.” Whenever he did something wrong and was trying to appease me, he’d call me “Liv” and pepper light kisses on my nose, collarbone, and stomach until I lost all resistance and surrendered to passion. This time I pulled away. “But my employee saw you at the airport picking up a young, beautiful woman. You even kissed.” His expression cycled through several emotions in the lamplight, more colorful than a painter’s palette. He swore to the heavens: “We didn’t kiss, it was just a cheek greeting. The client just got back from France, it’s a local custom there. Don’t overthink it.” “We’re announcing our relationship in a week, what are you worried about?” “Honey, are you having some pre-wedding jitters? You never used to be so insecure.” I looked at the man before me, still so composed even when caught in a lie. I gritted my teeth. How lovely! I stared at the phone in his pocket. “I don’t believe you. Tell me your phone password, I want to check myself.” He calmly handed me his phone. Then he entered the password in front of me. I checked his messages, social media, photos – nothing suspicious. I couldn’t even find that pink cartoon avatar. For a moment I wondered if I had imagined the whole airport scene. I handed the phone back, my voice choked. “I’m sorry, I must be oversensitive.” He smiled and took the phone back, his warm hand sliding up my calf. I pulled my leg away, clutching the covers. “I was going to say, my period came early. The mood swings are probably from PMS.” He immediately placed a concerned hand on my belly and went downstairs to make me herbal tea. I used to get bad cramps during my period. He took me to see a Chinese doctor who recommended an herbal tea. Ever since, he’d brew it himself each time, watching me drink it and giving me a sweet date to chase away the bitterness. I watched his busy figure, unsure what was real and what was fake about this man anymore. 0
That night, I watched his sleeping face and quietly took his phone. I had once heard a married friend describe how she caught her husband cheating. I learned that some phones have two separate interfaces, requiring a special method to switch between them. I entered the password and successfully found the hidden interface using my friend’s technique. But opening the private space required another password. I tried the phone’s unlock code – no luck. I thought about using his fingerprint, but Lucas was very sensitive to touch. I didn’t dare risk it. As a last attempt, I entered my birthday. I had no real hope, but to my shock it worked. Lucas, if you don’t love me, why use my birthday as your password? I wiped away tears and opened the hidden space like Pandora’s box. I found the pink cartoon avatar in the messaging app, and 1.5GB of videos of me stored in the cloud drive. All our intimate moments that I thought were precious now felt like knives stabbing into me. My trembling fingers checked the camera angle of one video. It seemed to be from a hidden camera on his body. I quickly and permanently deleted all the videos, triple checking I hadn’t missed any. I put down the phone and found the diamond pin Lucas always wore. On the back of the pin, I truly did find a tiny hidden camera. I covered my mouth and collapsed to the floor, muffling my sobs. Crying, I flushed the camera down the toilet. The next day I packed all my things into a suitcase. Lucas looked at me in confusion. “What’s wrong? Where are you going?” I smiled and replied: “I have a business trip in a few days. I’m packing early so I’m not rushed later.” Lucas came over and hugged me. “What’s the hurry? I’ll help you pack when it’s time.” “Are you going to the office today? I’ll drive you.” I pushed Lucas away. “I have a client meeting. I’ll go myself.” Before I left, there was one last thing to take care of – handing over my work at the company. My parents had wanted me to return to headquarters last year, but I had made excuses to stay with Lucas until now. When I called yesterday saying I was ready to go back, they immediately sent a new manager to take over for me. I had just finished briefing him on all the tasks when my assistant burst in. “Ms. Sinclair, there’s trouble! A Miss Lee is making a huge scene, demanding to see you. She’s saying…” She hesitated, looking at me uncertainly. “She’s saying you’re the other woman who stole her fiancé. Of course we don’t believe her, but she won’t leave. What should we do?” I took a deep breath. So Emma Lee couldn’t wait and came looking for me herself. I walked out and heard the commotion by reception. “Olivia Sinclair, come out! If you have the guts to steal someone’s man, have the guts to face me!” Everyone was staring and whispering. I stood in front of her. “You’re looking for me? Let’s talk in my office.” She strutted after me in her Chanel heels, bristling with anger. She looked around my office, eyeing my nameplate. “So the homewrecker even made it to CEO. Did you sleep your way to the top?” I leaned against my desk, turning the nameplate. “Miss Lee, you’ve been out of the country for over a decade and seem unfamiliar with things here. If you had bothered to look into the Sinclair family at all, you’d know exactly who I am.” Her eyes widened in disbelief. “You’re Olivia Sinclair, the Sinclair heiress? Impossible. Lucas said the Sinclair daughter was his most hated rival – a shrew always meddling in men’s business.” She narrowed her eyes, looking triumphant. “Oh, I get it. Lucas must be pretending to date you just to humiliate you.” “Take my advice and stop chasing after Lucas if you know what’s good for you. We’ve been engaged since childhood. You don’t stand a chance!” I struggled to contain my anger, feigning nonchalance. “Oh? Why don’t you ask your dear Lucas whether I’m chasing him, or he’s chasing me.” When we first got together, he had pursued me relentlessly. Now I’m the other woman? Lucas, you’ve really outdone yourself! Just then, she flew into a rage and grabbed a nearby vase, hurling it at me. “You’re lying! Lucas would never like an old hag like you!” I couldn’t dodge in time. Blood spilled across the floor. By the time Lucas rushed to the hospital, Emma had long since fled. He stood by my hospital bed, looking guilty. “I’m so sorry. Emma is my sister – she’s been spoiled by our family. It’s my fault for not explaining things clearly. Don’t worry, I’ve already scolded her.” I turned away, not wanting to look at him. He grabbed a water glass and smashed it against his own head. Blood streamed down his face as he gazed at me with devotion. “See? Now we match. If you hurt, I’ll hurt with you.” Seeing my silence, he raised the glass to strike himself again. “If you’re still not satisfied, I can do it again. Two times, three times, four times – as many as it takes until you forgive me.” I quickly stopped him. “Enough. Don’t hurt yourself anymore.” He knelt down, reverently kissing my fingertips. “You’ve finally forgiven me?” I nodded. Lucas, I’ll believe you one last time.
🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “296830”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic #狼人Werewolf
Leave a Reply